Malaysian government investing in local Esports

The Malaysian government has announced a substantial investment into the country’s Esports ecosystem, allocating $4.58m to the development of the industry.

The injection of funds into the Esports industry — under the Malaysia Madani Budget 2025 — is part of a broader effort to develop sports as a whole in the country.

In total, $51.1m will be allocated from the Malaysia Madani Budget 2025 for the development of sports. As a part of Malaysia’s sports development, the country’s athletes are expected to receive more in terms of support than before, which will likely translate to Esports players as well.

The country’s Department of Finance has allocated around £3.5m to primarily help expand the country’s local Esports scene, including the development of infrastructure, talent development, the grassroots ecosystem and support of Esports careers.

The Esports budget is also expected to relate to support for coaches, desk hosts and other staff in Esports. In addition, a national Esports centre is to be created in the future, allowing players and teams to organize bootcamps and events as well as access production facilities.

Malaysia is an important player in SEA Esports, with a notable number of teams and players in several popular games in the region, such as PUBG Mobile, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Free Fire. The country’s MLBB league, MPL Malaysia, had more than 630,000 peak viewers in its last season. The country was also host the PUBG Global Series 2023 with this year’s PUBG Global Championship and M6 World Championship.